Betrayal Temptation
by Hugo98
Summary: A devout mind gets swindled by his lust for knowledge.


**Betrayal; Temptation**

Bron, a devout follower of the Nine. Everyday his ritual consists of meditation and reflection. Julianos, the god of Wisdom and Logic, blesses him with his divine power, enriching his mind. Bron has however never been satisfied and his lust for knowledge and wisdom is what drives him. Over all of Skyrim Bron is known as The Logical Priest, and the yarls of the holds of Skyrim often ask for his opinion on important matters.

The civil war has subsided and Skyrim is once again at peace, with the Dragonborn as the new High King. Man and dragon live amongst each other tolerating each other, but barely so. The dragons proud as they are find it extremely difficult to bid their new leader, Ogiim, Dragonborn of Skyrim.

A messenger rushes into the temple, disrupting the priests in their meditation. Exhausted and panting, he asks for The Logical Priest, for he carries an important letter directly from the High King himself. Bron sticks out his hand, _"That's me"_. Cautious, the messenger reaches into his carry bag and takes out the letter. _"Here you are"_ , as the letter slips out of his hand and meets Bron's, the messenger rushes for the temple's doors without goodbyes or goodlucks. Concerned, the other priests wait upon the contents of the letter.

Bron stares at the seal on the letter, examining it and appreciating it. It's like none he's seen before, _"Absolutely fascinating"_ he thinks to himself. The seal doesn't appear to be wax, but blood. However, that's not the strangest characteristic of this seal, the symbol resembles something similar to a word wall, with a dragon resting atop it.

The seal breaks, a shiver runs down Bron's spine and cautiously he unfolds the letter. A strange glow emits from the paper within, _"Whatever this letter may hold, it can't possibly be anything good. Just look at it, it glows!"_ Hofnarr, priest of Mara, exclaims with his eyes wide and screaming with fear. Bron leaves his brethren to read the letter in their absence.

Within his quarters, Bron braves reading the letter and unfolds it once more noticing no shiver this time:

 _ **Bron**_

 _ **I apologize for any inconvenience that this letter has caused upon opening, I have cast a spell on it that only ensures its confidentiality. I'm afraid a problem has come to light that I cannot attend to, and your reputation is notable. There has been reports of mysterious and otherworldly events at the ruins of Windhelm. You holding title of The Logical Priest, I request of you to investigate and report. I'm sorry for entrusting you with this but I simply cannot afford any false or inaccurate reports. Please do this for me and report back at Markarth as soon as possible.**_

Bron lets out a heavy sigh, blowing up dust from the table opposite the room. He starts considering all the possibilities of what it actually might be, these mysterious and otherworldly events that have people spreading fear. Little did he know what awaited him at the destination of his mission. He puts away the letter and prepares to leave immediately, bidding his fellow priests farewell.

 _"Otherworldly events… Daedra maybe? Perhaps it's just Necromancers… Or maybe a dragon, shouting at the ruins… Whatever the case may be, I'll observe and report as I've been asked."_

Bron reaches a carriage that he frequently uses for travel opposite the watchtower just outside of the city walls and requests transport to the ruins. At first the driver seems confused, not sure which ruins Bron speaks of. Bron noticed his confusion and impatiently spat out, _"Windhelm"_ , and handed the driver his due payment. The driver first refused as he's already heard of the current events there, but Bron convinces the driver by doubling his pay. _"Shocking how money sways the mind"_ , Bron thought to himself.

The distance from Solitude to Windhelm isn't great, and the travel is soon over. Bron stops the driver as soon as he has Windhelm in his sight, he doesn't want the carriage provoking anything suspicious, if there is such. Bron awaits nightfall, and then moves closer to the city ruins. At first he sees nothing out of the ordinary, but when he moves into the ruins he notices a faint glow from the The Palace of The Kings.

He's never seen this glow before. It was a glow dull, yet vivid… Bright yet also barely visible, and it seemed to be alluring like a candle's flame to a moth at night. Bron felt a touch to his mind, a tug on his thoughts, a whisper in his ears and he suddenly realized what was waiting at the source of this glow. He's read of it, he's heard stories and tales of sorrow involving the mental tugging and whispers of the Daedric Prince, Herma Mora. Inevitably Bron fails to resist the lure of the Prince, and comes face to face with the Daedra.

" _I've been expecting you, mortal. You who serves Julianos, The Logical Priest."_

" _How… How do you know my face, and how did you know I was coming? What do you want with me?!"_

" _I know all, and I'm looking for a new Champion. So I offer you this, knowledge of everything that you've always wanted, something that I'm sure your dearest Julianos has failed to provide you with. All I expect of you is to do my bidding without question."_

" _Knowledge you say. I must admit that I haven't felt notable enlightenment from Julianos in a long while… My Divine is failing to fulfill his promise to me as a worshipper. Alright then, I shall do your bidding my Prince. Make me your Champion."_

" _Excellent!"_

The whole palace nearly crumbles under the rumble of the Prince's voice, and he sends off his new follower to complete his first task to become the new Champion, all for the promised knowledge that he so badly yearns for.


End file.
